Living in a civilized society doesn’t have as many guarantees as you’d expect. Really, we’re all just making it up as best we can from day to day, trying to make our own dreams come true without stepping on too many toes as we do so. Or maybe that’s just me.
To a certain degree, if you’re going to live your best life, it’s probably going to upset someone else. And that’s just what happened with a homeowner in Texas.
Homeowners’ associations aren’t for everyone
Emilio Rodriguez has a very well-defined idea of how he wants his house to look — specifically, pink. As in, bright, bubblegum pink, all over. Not just the shutters, trim, or gutters, but the whole deal.
Shortly after he moved in, he started painting. His neighbors in his Austin, Texas suburb, however, aren’t so happy with his choice.
Emilio knew that a neighborhood association was never going to see eye-to-eye with him
“No HOA,” he told CBS Austin, “I pre-planned this specifically because of that reason, so when people get mad I explain there is no HOA here.”
“Even if they made an HOA right here I’m already grandfathered in so we’re set,” he told Fox 7. “I did my homework beforehand.”
Why pink? Emilio has a powerful, personal reason for wanting more pink in his life
And it has nothing to do with John Mellencamp. When he was just four years old, a car accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Since then, he’s had dozens of surgeries and even had a leg removed.
Throughout all that, pink has helped brighten things up. “When I have to do medical stuff I can look up at the pink house and it kind of calms me down a little bit,” he said.
No surprise, Emilio’s house gets plenty of attention from neighbors
“This is definitely adding a twist to the neighborhood,” said one neighbor who actually likes the look. “I would suggest to neighbors to be open minded because you know I think [you] should invest energy into being different and being yourself and not let being yourself be suppressed about what society thinks is normal.”
However, not everybody in the area is a fan of Emilio’s paint job
As KENS reported, some folks in the neighborhood are “livid” and think Emilio’s house is an “eyesore,” to the point that they’re considering filing a lawsuit.
It’s all come at a considerable cost, at least $10,000 so far, but Emilio doesn’t mind
“How much am I going to invest in this house? Man, I don’t have a problem,” he told the San Antonio Statesman. “I don’t even know, to be honest. There’s no limit. There’s no budget. That’s what I’m telling people right now. I’m serious about that.”
Emilio is undeterred by his neighbors, however
“I love this house,” he said. “I don’t know why people don’t like it.”
In fact, he plans to keep painting and adding even more pink to his dream home. “The driveway’s going to be pink, I’m getting all the grass removed for pink tile blocks, I’m going to have pink spot lights on the trees, pink car. I will paint my wheelchair pink,” he said.
Emilio hopes he’s able to mend fences with his neighbors one day
“This is where I’ll be able to throw those community events and get to know the neighbors,” he said.
Ain’t that America?